Mar 112025
 

Five Good Covers presents five cross-genre reinterpretations of an oft-covered song.

Massive Attack built a swift and sustained reputation right from the word go, as Blue Lines, their 1991 debut, virtually invented the whole trip-hop genre, and remains one of the best selling of that classification. I see Wikipedia describes trip-hop as “a psychedelic fusion of hip-hop and electronica, with slow tempos and an atmospheric sound, often incorporating elements of jazz, soul, funk, reggae, and R&B,” along with samples, often from film and elsewhere. Whilst that seems now a pretty good summation, at the time it was just so astonishingly different. Somehow, the unwieldy mix worked such alchemical magic, drawing together fans of any of those contributing parts, even if they didn’t especially love them all.

Mezzanine was album number 3, with a noticeably darker sound, adding industrial noise and post-punk to the palette. Outselling even Blue Lines, it became and still is their biggest selling release. Largely the baby of Robert Del Naja, it lead to some degree of conflict between he and the other members of the core trio membership of the band, Grant Marshall and Andrew Vowles. This meant Del Napa provided and put together most of the material, with the other two working mainly on the various loops of drum and bass used. Vowles then actually left the partnership shortly after release.

As a song, “Teardrop” was a rare instance, on Mezzanine, where Vowles had provided a track’s impetus, improvising the characteristic harpsichord figure in the studio. Vowles wanted Madonna to sing the lead vocal. She was very up for it, having earlier worked with the band (for “I Want You”). But Marshall and Vowles overruled him. They felt the ethereal tones of Elizabeth Fraser, from Cocteau Twins, would suit better the mood and melody. Fraser duly penned the words, later feeling they summed up her thoughts around her ex Jeff Buckley, despite being unaware his death at the time of writing.

Be that as it may, the combination of her lightweight vocal style and the gentle electronica prove to be unduly effective, explaining why “Teardrop” remains far and away the most covered of Massive Attack’s songs. It came out as Mezzanine‘s second single in April 1998, and reached #10 in the UK chart, still their highest home success, if faring better in other territories, notably Iceland, where it topped their chart. It took the TV series House M.D. using it as its theme song to give it any great traction in the U.S..
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May 272022
 

Dirt Does DylanProving there is nothing like a Dylan covers project to pep up flagging inspiration, and proving also you just cannot have too many of such a thing, Dirt Does Dylan is a worthy addition to the shelves of similar, proving the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, almost as aged an act as is the Bard of Hibbing, have still got legs. Legs and, indeed, arms and voices, the better as to play this collection of, largely, older Dylan standards.

Since kicking off, back in 1966, the band have actually been quite shy of Dylan covers, a glance of their early album credits suggesting they were putting more eggs in the Jackson Browne basket, and I struggled, wading through their myriad releases to find much beyond their version of “You Ain’t Goin’ Nowhere” on Will The Circle Be Unbroken, Volume Two, and that potentially only down to the presence of Messrs. McGuinn and Hillman as guests.

That said, founding member Jeff Hanna claims he first found his muse upon hearing Bob Dylan, then locking himself away in his bedroom, working on the chord structures of “Don’t Think Twice, It’s Alright,” sharing that passion with Jimmie Fadden, who would be his longtime partner in the band they together formed. Fast forward five and a half decades, and Hanna and Fadden are still in the fold, with longtime stalwart Bob Carpenter and three new players, including Hanna’s son, Jaime. And is “Don’t Think Twice” still on the menu? You bet it it is!
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Nov 042021
 
Billie Eilish Nightmare Before Christmas Larkin Poe

It’s up for grabs whether The Nightmare Before Christmas counts as a Halloween Movie or a Christmas Movie. The stop-motion animation classic, produced by Tim Burton, is often lumped in with seasonally spooky fare, but the film’s plot hinges around Jack Skellington’s infatuation with Christmas Town. Personally, I usually wait until at least November 1st, the phase change between the holiday seasons, for my annual revisit to the film. Danny Elfman’s gloriously macabre soundtrack makes for an ideal November appetizer to the oncoming blitz of holiday music to come: the songs have their share of jingle bells, but also choruses of demon children and grim grinning ghosts. Continue reading »

Apr 302021
 
best cover songs april 2021
Dave Richardson – Bright Phoebus (Lal & Mike Waterson cover)


Vermonter Dave Richardson digs deep into folk-rock history on his new album Palms to Pines, covering the title track of Lal & Mike Waterson’s 1972 album Bright Phoebus. Deeply obscure at the time – only 1,000 copies were initially pressed – it became known as “folk music’s Sgt. Pepper” among the very, very few people who actually heard it. The record has seen a recent resurgence with champions like Arcade Fire and Jarvis Cocker leading to a 2017 re-release on überhip Domino Records. Richardson makes it sound like a classic all along. Continue reading »

Feb 052021
 

In the Spotlight showcases a cross-section of an artist’s cover work. View past installments, then post suggestions for future picks in the comments!

Taj Mahal covers

Like the centuries-old architectural marvel in India that he took as his stage name, musician and composer Taj Mahal seems to live beyond the reach of time. There’s been an “old soul” vibe about him, an ageless quality, since he debuted in the mid-sixties. Taj may not be the sole survivor of his generation, but you won’t find a more soulful survivor who is still in the game.

His artistic longevity is all the more impressive because Taj has never had the chart-topping hit, or a cultish following, or the other advantages that make it easier for a performer to sustain a career. Yet here he is, almost 80, still throwing down, resonating with a new crop of musicians.
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Nov 232020
 

Kindred Spirits Larkin PoeThis should have been a belter.

True, in places Kindred Spirits shines, and it’s everything one could have expected from this talented pair of sisters.

But?

Let’s first set the scene. Larkin Poe are Megan and Rebecca Lovell, two sisters from Tennessee, deeply ingrained with the sounds of “the South Will Rise Again,” i.e. the Allmans and all who knelt before them. Indeed, their publicity touts them as little sisters of the Allman Brothers (although the Black Keys, for me, is a better reference, sonically speaking). Kick-ass slide and sassy vocals are their calling cards, and since 2014 they have produced a run of well-received records, usually with an added rhythm section adding woomph to their twin guitars and vocals. In recent years they have seemed glued to the side of Elvis Costello, notably on his solo tours to support the autobiography, acting as his support band and accompanists. Frankly, at times, they were better than their employer.

A lighter side of their work has been the slew of YouTube recordings put up, looking all very ad-hoc, in hotel rooms, maybe whilst touring, and a delight they are.Kindred Spirits is in that style, just the the two of them.
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